To be with my love
by FutureAuthoress
Summary: ...he would do anything. Even give his voice up to the nefarious Plankton! Can Spongebob get Sandy to fall in love with him...with only three days to do so?
1. Chapter 1

"**To be with my love" (A Little Mermaid Parody 2.)**

**Quick authors note: I had the idea of a Spongebob/Sandy spoof on the little mermaid stuck in my head for months, thinking of all the little things that I could add. Then, I read S.O.Lmaster's "The Little Sponge", and it gave me just the push I needed to finish it. I loved the first spin-off, albeit a little a little too close to the original story for my taste. So, here's my little re-write…just for fun (and a way to brush up on my writing skills) I hope you like it!**

**Also, because it's a book, I tried my best not to have any songs in there…although there are some parts that you absolutely **_**have**_** to have songs in; I canceled out all of the parts that weren't necessary.**

**I owe great thanks to S.O.Lmaster for providing me with some of the characters that I needed to make the story work. You're an amazing storywriter, keep it up!**

It was a beautiful day to be sailing…the skies were blue, the mood was merry. Everyone was smiling and singing.

At the stern, staring out into the peaceful ocean, stood a young squirrel named Sandy, clad in a modest white sundress. "Isn't this just simply amazing, Corneil?" she turned to a little yellow dog, who didn't appear to be feeling "simply amazing". "I mean, the crisp ocean air, the cool breeze," she took a deep breath, absorbing the beauty of it all, and let it back out with a contented sigh.

"Fantastic," Corneil replied dolefully.

"Well, this great weather isn't just great for us, you know," a sailor slid down out of the crow's nest. Sandy recognized him as Bernie, a boy of barely sixteen, with blue hair and an orange vest.

"What do you mean?" Sandy turned around to face him, and watched as he picked up a fish.

"I mean the Krusty Krab must be getting _great_ business with all the sunshine and fresh air," he said. "C'mon Sandy, you knew that!"

Sandy stared at her friend, one eyebrow raised.

Corniel huffed in exasperation. "Oh, stuff and nonsense, Bernie!" he declared, and looked at Sandy. "Don't you believe a word he says, he's got rocks in his head."

"But it's true, Corneil!" Bernie retorted, waving the fish in his furry friend's face. "One day, _I'm_ gonna visit, and prove you completely wrong!" on impulse, Bernie flung his hands up in the air, sending the fish flying back into the ocean. "Oops," he muttered, leaning over the edge of the boat. He chuckled nervously. "Guess they'll have to catch another one."

Unbeknownst to our land friends, upon arriving at the bottom of the sea, the fish stood up on two legs, brushed itself off, and gave a quick thought before trotting off toward the Krusty Krab, where an enormous crowd gathered itself outside the glass doors, attempting to enter for the show.

Inside and on stage, a popular news reporter known as Perch Perkins was starting the show. "Presenting to you, the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant, Mr. Eugene Krabs!"

Krabs came onstage. "Thank ya all for coming! Don't forget to come back every day for a Krabby Patty!" he laughed his trademark sailor's laugh, and exited the stage as the audience applauded.

Perch continued. "Also, musical composer for the Krusty Krab talent show, not to mention cashier, Mr. Squidward Tentacles!"

Squidward also came onstage. But unlike Mr. Krabs, he didn't receive any applause, and stormed backstage, arms crossed.

"This is the greatest money-maker you've ever thought of!" Mr. Krabs encouraged his moping cashier.

"Yes, and my last hope for a musical career," Squidward worried, watching the show from behind the curtain.

Mr. Krabs nudged Squidward, grinning wide. "But I'm especially looking forward to a certain little yellow fella," he whispered. "That lad's been making me easy money since he started working here!"

Squidward rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. We all know that he's the most amazing fry-cook the world's ever known." he griped. "If only he'd actually _be here_ for half the practices." Squidward re-entered the stage area to introduce the first act. "And now, Pearl's Girls." He announced, and walked backstage again.

A cutesy teenaged whale, Pearl, along with three of her fish friends, climbed up on stage, all wearing enormous grins.

Pearl started the act, by singing "Oh! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"

On queue, the three fish behind her shouted in unison "Spongebob Squarepants!"

Pearl then danced to the other end of the stage, causing the windows to rattle. "Absorbent and yellow and porous is he?" she jumped up in the air, making all the tables in the restaurant go "bump".

The other girls followed her, mimicking her movements. "Spongebob Squarepants!"

Pearl struck a girly pose, causing several of the audience members to applaud. "If nautical nonsense be something you wish?"

"Spongebob, Squarepants!"

Pearl spun around, her ponytail flying up in the air. "Then drop on the deck, and flop like a fish!" as she sang, she jumped off of the stage and flipped around in a supposedly helpless manner.

This made the audience practically fall over laughing, as the three other fish repeated the action. "Spongebob, Squarepants!"

"Ready?" Pearl called, climbing back up on stage. "Spongebob Squarepants! Spongebob Squarepants! Spongebob Squarepants! Spongebob…Squarepants!" they ended the song in a cheerleading pyramid, two girls standing on Pearl's outstretched arms, while the other one balanced one foot on each of their shoulders. They jumped down and stepped to the side, where a grill had been rolled up behind them.

But, behind the grill…was no sign of Spongebob. A series of gasps rose up out of the stage area, followed by the dinner guests. Mr. Krabs's face turned even redder than before. "SPONGEBOB!"

-----

Out in jellyfish fields, a little yellow sponge, called Spongebob, and a big pink starfish by the name of Patrick, were playing tag. "You're it!" Spongebob shouted as he touched his friend's arm.

Patrick laughed, chasing after Spongebob, who'd already taken to running the other direction. In his hurry to catch up, Patrick didn't realize that Spongebob had stopped running, and ran straight into him, sending them both tumbling to the ground. "You're it!" he chimed.

Spongebob got up and brushed himself off, and then helped Patrick up too. The starfish turned to see what Spongebob had been staring at.

"Who, what's that?" he asked, hiding partly behind his yellow friend.

"It's a pirate's ship!" Spongebob exclaimed, smiling.

"Oh goody, a pirate ship!" Patrick sing-songed. "I've never been in a real-live pirate ship before! Well come on, let's go!" he grabbed Spongebob by the wrist and ran toward the boat, finding a small entrance and barely managing to squeeze in.

"Wow!" Spongebob whispered, staring around. "Come on, let's see what we can find!" they went into the next room, gazing around in awe.

Little did they know, they were being followed.

Spongebob saw something glisten in the little light managing to make it on board. He picked up a four-pronged object. "Wow, this is neat!" he said, examining the object closely.

Patrick stared. "Yeah, but…what is it?"

Spongebob shrugged, pulling out a small black bag and putting the object inside. "I'll bet Gary knows, though!"

Spongebob picked up another object. It was hollow, with a little end, then a turn in the middle and a big end.

"S-S-S-Spongebob?" Patrick stuttered.

"I wonder what this is," Spongebob wondered aloud.

"Sp-Spongebob!" Patrick called, trying to get his friend's attention.

"Yeah buddy?" Spongebob turned around to see the skeleton of a man's body, sitting on the ground as if staring. He screamed in terror and ran behind Patrick.

Patrick pointed to another one, not too far off. At that point, they both screamed.

"Let's get out of here!" Spongebob shouted, stumbling toward their exit. The two ran nonstop in blind terror, until they arrived at Spongebob's pineapple, panting.

Spongebob chuckled. "Heh, guess-guess we showed them…" he said.

Patrick chuckled, too. "Yeah…"

Spongebob invited his friend in, and soon the two were seated in front of Gary the snail, their discoveries in hand. "Maybe you can tell us what these are, GareBear." Spongebob suggested. "You used to live on land."

"Meow." _Sure, whatcha got?_

Spongebob placed the pronged object in front of Gary. "What do you make of this?" he asked.

"Meow." _Yup, that one's a dinglehopper. Land creatures use them to straighten out their hair._

Spongebob's countenance dropped slightly, but he was still smiling. "Well, so much for that," he joked. "Okay, so what's this?" he took out the hollow object.

"Meow, meow." _That's a snarfblatt. Land creatures make music with those, it really is something!_

Patrick looked confused. "A scarf-what?"

Spongebob's eyes grew wide, and he smacked a hand to his forehead. "Music, oh no!" he looked at his watch. "I was supposed to star in Mr. Krabs' talent show! He's going to rip my limbs off! I've gotta go, see you later, Gary!" Spongebob dashed out the front door, followed closely behind by Patrick.

What our worried friends did not know, was deep in the depths of the Chum Bucket, they were being monitored closely by none other than the nefarious Plankton. He cackled. "Yeah, you'd better run, you wouldn't want to miss Krabs' precious party!" he scoffed. "Party indeed. When _I_ was in college, parties meant rock music, _good_ food, and not to mention the ladies…"

The monitor went black, and a set of green eyes appeared. "Sheldon!"

Plankton recoiled. "Not that, you know, I'm not happy now!"

"Aha." The image of Spongebob and Patrick rushing toward the Krusty Krab reappeared.

"Don't call me that," Plankton muttered through clenched teeth, and then called "Manray! Dirty Bubble!"

The two henchmen appeared in the doorway.

"Keep a sharp eye on that barnacle-head sponge. He just may be the key element to my master plan," he laughed louder and louder, until he sent himself into a coughing fit.

Back at the Krusty Krab, Patrick watched in terror as Spongebob received a scolding from Mr. Krabs.

"What were you thinkin', boy?" Mr. Krabs reprimanded.

"Mr. Krabs, I'm sorry, I just kinda forgot…" Spongebob sniffled, not appreciating Krabs' sharp words.

"You forgot!" Krabs was steaming. "How could you be so careless, boy?"

"And reckless!" Squidward added. He leaned down to be eye level with the cowering Sponge. "The whole party was ruined because you're too barnacle-headed to show up! My one change—my _last_ chance, at a good career, decent pay, and an actual life—ruined! Utterly destroyed! Now, everyone in Bikini Bottom thinks I'm just a big joke!"

"And worse!" Mr. Krabs interrupted. "Now, people are afraid that the food is as bad as the performance! I haven't had a single customer since!"

Spongebob's eyes started to tear up, and he looked as if he just wanted to run away and sob.

"But Mr. Krabs, he didn't do anything wrong!" Patrick interjected. "We were on our way to the Krusty Krab," Patrick's tone grew dramatic, and Spongebob covered his face with his hands. "When all of a sudden—BOOM!" he lunged at the un-expecting crab and octopus. "The Flying Dutchman! And he tried to eat us! But we got away! But then, that dumb old Gary came up, and started telling us a gazillion things, and we just had to—"

"Gary?" Mr. Krabs interrupted.

Patrick slapped his hand over his mouth, catching his mistake just a moment too late.

"You were headed toward land again, weren't you?!" Mr. Krabs seethed.

"No, I wasn't! I mean…maybe…" Spongebob took a step back, tripping backward into a chair.

Mr. Krabs loomed over him, pure anger in his eyes. "Oh Spongebob, how many times to I gotta tell ya? Those—those—_monsters_ eat fish, that's _us_, for dinner!"

"But Mr. Krabs, they're not _all_ monsters!" Spongebob retorted, his voice cracking.

"Oh, but they're dangerous! You remembered what happens with those hooks, don't you me boy?"

"Mr. Krabs I'm 19 years old! I'm not _just_ a kid anymore!" Spongebob shouted.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Mr. Krabs boomed, sending Spongebob deeper into the chair. "As long as I'm yer boss, ye'll do what I say!"

Spongebob's lip quivered, as he tried to retort but instead broke into tears and darted into the kitchen to be alone.

"Humph, know-it-all," Squidward muttered from behind a magazine.

"Think I'm too strict with the boy?" Krabs asked his rude cashier, flopping himself down in a chair.

"Really Mr. Krabs, I don't actually care if you throw him out on the streets or keep his annoying yellow majesty here. But if you want my opinion, you should teach him who's in charge. No running off to play pirate when you have previous engagements. I'd keep him under a watchful eye 24-7."

"Of course," Krabs replied, thoughtfully.

"He should be properly disciplined."

"Yes…"

"Constantly supervised."

"Excellent idea, Mr. Squidward! You can start right now!" Mr. Krabs walked off to his office.

"Mr. Krabs!" Squidward threw his magazine onto the cash register. "Nuh-uh! No _way_ am I going to watch an irritating, immature, no-good—" Squidward stopped short. On their way out of the back door, in the kitchen, were Spongebob and Patrick. "Hmm," he followed them, quietly, through a trapdoor in the floor of the kitchen, leading underground.

Squidward was shocked to see shelves lining the walls, covered in nets, hooks, glass jars, and all manner of surface paraphernalia. Patrick and Gary were playing with a shiny metal object, which Squidward recognized as a fork. Spongebob sat alone on a rock, looking depressed as he stared at the items lining the walls.

"Sponge, you okay?" Patrick asked.

Spongebob sighed. "Yeah, I suppose. It's just that," he huffed, standing up. "Mr. Krabs still thinks I'm a kid! I mean, he treats me like a baby, and—and…" his voice trailed off and a tear ran down his cheek. "It's just not fair."

"Well, I'll be sure Mr. Krabs sees about this," Squidward murmured to himself. He turned to leave, but upon doing so tripped over a fish net, and fell down to where the three were standing.

Spongebob jumped back. "Squidward!?" Spongebob wasn't sure whether to be angry, or to beg him not to tell Mr. Krabs about his hideout.

The irritated octopus stood up and dusted himself off. "Spongebob! What is all this junk?" he asked.

"It's…um…just a collection…" Spongebob stuttered.

"Oh, just a collection," Squidward said, sounding momentarily relieved. "Just wait 'till Mr. Krabs finds out about this!" he bellowed, waving his arms madly above his head.

"Wait Squidward, you're not gonna tattle on us…are you?" Patrick asked.

"Oh, please Squidward!" Spongebob begged. "Mr. Krabs would never understand!"

"Oh no you don't!" Squidward put a tentacle out in front of him, blocking out the heartbreaking face that Spongebob was making. He grabbed the little sponge's arm and began dragging him back toward the entrance. "You're gonna tell Mr. Krabs about this _yourself!_" Squidward said.

Spongebob dug his heels into the ground, trying to free himself from the octopus' grip. "Please Squidward!" he stopped resisting, though, when he saw a movement. "What was that?" he whispered, slipping his hand out of Squidward's.

"Sponge-bob!" Squidward shouted after the retreating figure.

But Spongebob didn't listen as he, Patrick, and Gary went toward the giant shadow looming above the water.

**That will conclude chapter 1. I know it's kinda close to the other spin-off, but like I said before, I took a couple of ideas from there. Hope you're enjoying so far! Feedback is appreciated, like usual.**

**Meg**


	2. Chapter 2

"**To be with my love" **

**Before I go on, I once again want to thank S.O.Lmaster for the encouragement. I just finished reading your "Future Shock" story, and it was just--AGAIN--the little push I needed to keep working. Keep up the great work ;) Alrighty, here goes!**

**Chapter 2**

Upon arriving at the surface, they encountered a large ship emitting colorful fireworks in all directions. "Whoa..." Spongebob said, staring at the ship in awe.

Squidward shortly joined them. "Spongebob! Do you have to make everything so--" he stopped short when he saw what Spongebob was looking at. The next thing he knew, Spongebob was swimming determinedly toward the ship. He sighed. "Here we go again," he muttered, following the little yellow man.

Spongebob slid his hands onto the edge of the big boat, watching the on board activities. A little dog was running toward someone. "I think we've lost her, Bernie!" he muttered. "She's finally gone off the deep end!"

"No way, Corneil. Sandy's completely level-headed." a teenage boy with shockingly blue hair replied. Spongebob glanced toward where the two were looking, and saw a brown squirrel in a white summer dress dancing around, playing a musical instrument. "Then again..."

Then, the squirrel named Sandy came up to the pair. "Come on Corneil, dance with me!" she said, picking up the dog and swinging him in circles.

"Oh Bernie, help me!" Corneil moaned, being spun in playful circles.

Spongebob watched in a trance, a silly smile crossing his face.

Patrick finally caught up to his friend. "Hey Spongebob, what'd I miss?"

Spongebob snapped out of his hypnotic mood. "Shh Pat, they'll here you!" Spongebob whispered, putting a hand over Patrick's mouth, still staring at Sandy. "I--I've never seen a land creature from this close up before!" he said, sighing. "Is she not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" he removed his hand from Patrick's mouth, and leaned on his elbows.

"Gee I dunno Sponge, that blue hair is kinda disturbing."

Spongebob laughed his usual high-pitched giggle. "No, _her_." he pointed toward Sandy, her dress flowing elegantly in the breeze as she sat down with her guitar.

"Hey everyone!" the kid named Bernie with blue hair called out. "Can I get everyone to listen to me for a minute?"

The chaos on the ship slowly calmed down, until all sailors had their attention on Bernie.

Bernie looked at Sandy. "Sandy, we all got to thinking," Bernie went into speech mode, pacing slowly back and forth in front of a large sheet-covered object.

"Oh dear," Corneil muttered.

"So we all pitched in a bit," he put his hands on the sheet. "Hired some foreign artists, blah blah blah...and this is what we got. For you eighteenth birthday!"

He pulled the sheet down, and on cue, all hundred-and-somewhat sailors shouted "Happy birthday, Sandy!" as an shockingly accurate sculpture of the squirrel was revealed.

Sandy turned slightly red in the cheeks. "Aw shucks Bernie, ya shouldn't have!"

Bernie punched her gently in the shoulder. "But I did! Well, of course I _was_ saving it for a wedding present..."

Sandy rolled her eyes. "Come on, Bernie! Y'all aren't gonna let me forget that, are ya?"

"Well, Sandy, he _was_ the prince of _Spain_. And besides, you gotta marry sometime!"

Sandy shrugged her shoulders and turned to gaze out to sea. "I will...someday. I just, ya know...have to find the right guy first."

Unbeknownst to the sailors, Spongebob was watching the whole thing, a crooked and elusive smile sitting on his face.

Bernie walked up to Sandy. "Oh yes, how touching." he muttered, sarcastically. "But how will you know it's him, when--and _if--_you meet him?"

Sandy shrugged again. "Ah, I dunno, guess it'll just--" she made a wide gesture with her arms. "Hit me like lightning!"

As if by signal, a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, revealing the gray clouds looming above head. The winds picked up, causing the ship to rock back and forth, and also making the tides pick up. Patrick was swept away in the waves.

"Spongebob!" he called, being pulled further and further away from the ship.

"Patrick!" Spongebob reached toward his friend, but wasn't able to catch him before he fell back underwater toward Squidward and Gary, who were hiding from the electrical storm underwater.

"It's a hurricane!" One of the crewmen shouted, holding on to the mast for dear life.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, striking one of the sails. The entire support fell over onto the deck, sending the entire ship up in flames. The entire crew jumped ship, most of them managing to make it to the lifeboats, the ones that didn't make it managed to swim up to them and hold on. "I think that's everyone!" Sandy called, glancing around. Then she spotted the little yellow dog. "Corneil!" she yelled. "I'll be right back!" she jumped off of the life boat and back onto the burning wreckage that could hardly be called a ship anymore. "Jump to me!" she called, extending her hands to the frightened Corneil.

"No...I can't!" Corneil called back, frozen in terror.

Sandy huffed. "I've got you!" she jumped across a broken part of the ship, picked up the dog, and headed back toward the water. "Ahh!" she screeched, as her foot slipped between two broken planks of wood. Corneil went flying overboard, and swam swiftly toward the life boat.

Sandy grunted and strained, trying to pull her foot out of the crevice. She finally managed to free herself and dive into the water, just as the ship blew up.

"Oh my gosh! SANDY!" Bernie called into the water, picking up Corneil and watching the scene in horror.

Spongebob looked frantically around for the fallen land squirrel. He noticed her sinking slowly underneath the water, and swam up to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and struggled to pull her up to the surface, where she could breath. He set her gently on a floating slab of wood, and started pushing her toward the shore.

It was morning when the four finally made it to shore. Spongebob pulled the unconscious princess up onto shore, before flopping down on the beach by the water.

When he'd caught his breath, he finally sat up and looked at her. "Sandy," he muttered. "Sandy Squirrel, the most beautiful creature in the world..."

Patrick joined him. "Wow, we swam for the whole entire night!" Patrick commented. He spotted Sandy laying on the ground. "Who's that? She looks dead."

Spongebob's eyes filled with panic. "Oh, she isn't dead, right Pat?" he asked, starting to feel the effects of being on land. He splashed himself vigorously with water, before running back to Patrick, who had his hand on Sandy's ankle.

"I dunno Spongebob, I can't feel her pulse."

At that moment, Sandy heaved a huge sigh in her sleep. "Wait, Pat, I think she's breathing," Spongebob whispered. He sighed with relief. "What an amazing face..." he said, gently stroking her cheek. The beauty of the moment made him want to sing. "Mister sun came up and he smiled at me," he began, softly. "He said, 'It's gonna be a good one, just wait and see,'".

As he sang, Squidward made his way wearily on shore. "Oh, my aching tentacles," he muttered. He saw Spongebob singing, and just _who _he was singing to, and was about to protest, when Patrick put a hand up to quiet him. Gary was trailing not too far behind.

"Jumped out of bed, and I ran outside, feeling so extra ecstaticfied!" Sandy's eyes flitted open as Spongebob finished the line, and she looked up to see a laughing Sponge in front of her.

"Sandy!" Bernie's voice came flying through the air, accompanied by Corneil's bark. Spongebob glanced up, and in a moment him and his friends had disappeared back into the ocean.

Bernie ran up to Sandy, who was laying on the beach staring out into the sea.

Corneil ran to the seaside. "Wait, come back!" he called, but the posse was long gone.

"Gees Sandy, do you _like_ scaring me to death like that?" Bernie asked, helping her stand up.

"Did you see him?" Sandy asked absentmindedly. "He--he was right right here just a second ago..."

"Uh...see what?" Bernie asked, a quizzical expression crossing his face.

"There was...there was a guy...he was--singing! He--he had the most adorable little voice..."

Bernie took a step backward. "Oh man, now you're delusional too?" he put his hands on her shoulders, examining her eyes for any signs of a concussion, only to find a faraway dreamy look. "I think you swallowed some of that saltwater, and it's making you a little psycho, let's get home and clean you up." he said.

"But wait, Bernie, she's not--" Corneil started to speak, but his interruption was interrupted by Bernie.

"You too, Corneil...you smell like fish."

-----

Patrick and Gary watched as Bernie led a reluctant Sandy and Corneil away.

Spongebob wasn't watching, though. He was too busy daydreaming off in la-la-land.

Squidward was pacing frantically back and forth, cogitating on what to do in the near future. "Okay...okay...we just broke the rules. _Big time_ broke the rules." he turned to Patrick. "Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm gonna be in when Mr. Krabs finds out I let Spongebob wander off to the beach?" he shook Patrick by the shoulders. "DO YOU?!?"

Spongebob sighed. "That face..." he muttered to himself. "Those curves...the way she talks..."

What our friends didn't know, was that they were being watched. And not just by anyone; it was Manray and the Dirty Bubble, holding a video camera sending feed back to the Chum Bucket, where Plankton stood laughing at what he saw. "Oh, I can't take this!" he told his computer wife. "The little sponge is lovesick! And not just for anyone...a squirrel! A _land_ squirrel, and a princess at that! Ah, this'll make Krabs insane!" he cackled, and picked up a square-shaped helmet. "That idiot will make a wonderful addition to my staff!" he laughed, then glanced at his former staff; several skeletons laying against the wall. "He'll certainly be livelier..." he muttered.

-----

A few days later, at the Krusty Krab, the Krusty Krew was making themselves useful. Well...Squidward was anyway.

"Spongebob! Where's number 5's order?" Squidward shouted through the small kitchen window.

Spongebob danced carelessly out of the kitchen carrying a tray containing a Krabby Patty and a medium soft drink.

"I wanted fries..." the confused customer said.

But Spongebob was already skipping away. On his way out, he bumped into Mr. Krabs. "Oh, hey Mr. Krabs," he said, dreamily.

"Hey..." Mr. Krabs watched Spongebob prance out of the restaurant.

"Hey Pearl," he said, as he went past.

Pearl giggled, while Squidward, uneasy about the situation, sneaked out the back door to follow the lovestruck sponge.

"He's got it _so_ bad," one of Pearl's friends commented.

"Got what?" Mr. Krabs asked.

"Oh yeah," Pearl agreed.

"What is it? What's she got?" Mr. Krabs looked incredibly confused.

Pearl giggled again. "Well...isn't it obvious? Spongebob...he's in love!"

Krabs still looked confused. "Spongebob? In _love_?" a smile slowly began to creep across his face.

-----

In jellyfish fields, Spongebob lay on the ground and watched the clouds roll by, toying with a little flower, while Squidward paced on the dangerous edge of a breakdown. "Okay...okay...so far, we're safe...I don't think Mr. Krabs has caught on yet...oh but we can't keep this a secret forever!" he glanced at Spongebob, who was daydreaming, picking the petals off of the flower one at a time.

"She loves me," he sighed. "She loves me not." he tossed the petal down onto the ground. He picked the last petal off. "She loves me," he laughed dreamily, the faraway look in his eyes never ceasing. "I thought so," he said.

Squidward tried to bring the little yellow fry-cook back to reality. "Spongebob!" he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Stop acting like a maniac! You're talking like you've lost your mind!"

Spongebob still hadn't snapped to. "I...I've gotta see her again! I've gotta see her tonight! I'll bet Gary knows where she lives...yeah..."

"Spongebob, will you get your head back on your shoulders straight? This behavior has _got_ to stop!"

"We can swim up to her castle...Patrick could splash around a little to get her attention..."

Squidward pulled Spongebob's face so close, their noses almost touched. "_This_ is your home, dunce! Down here, at the bottom of the sea!" he let go and started pacing again. "Listen to me, Spongebob," he tried to be persuasive, not once glancing at Spongebob. "Up there, they've got nothing but work work work, labor labor labor...it's not all fun and games!"

While he was ranting, Patrick walked up quietly to Spongebob and whispered something into his ear. Spongebob nodded, and on that note, they both walked quietly away.

"Here, we've got work, yeah, but then the rest of the time! I mean there's jellyfishing...you'd miss jellyfishing so much! And--and the Krusty Krab! Wouldn't you miss your job as a fry-cook?"

Squidward turned around, and realized that he'd lost his audience. "Spongebob?" he glanced around. "Ooh man, if I find that little yellow idiot, I'm gonna bolt his feet--"

As he spoke, a police boat pulled up beside him, which Squidward found odd out in the middle of jellyfish fields.

"Can I help you, officer?" Squidward asked, trying to hide his choler.

"You Squidward Tentacles?" the officer asked.

_Uh-oh_, Squidward thought. "Um, yes, that's me..."

"Your boss would like to see you." he said, and drove away.

Once the boat was gone, Squidward allowed panic to overtake him. "Oh no...he's found out!"

-----

Back at the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs was sitting behind the cash register, staring out the window and smiling. He laughed, quietly. "Didn't think the lad had it in him..." he said, sighing.

Squidward walked timidly inside.

"Ah, Mr. Squidward!" Krabs seemed giddy for someone who was supposed to be scolding him.

"Y-yes?" Squidward stuttered, despite his best efforts, an obvious signal that he was anything _but_ innocent.

"I'm a bit worried about Spongebob. Have ye not noticed how...strange he's been acting?"

Squidward coughed. "Strange? No, I haven't noticed anything _strange_..."

"Oh really? Not the way he dances from table to table...or the way he keeps hummin' these silly tunes all day?"

"Um...well...you know..."

"Squidward,"

"Hmm?" Squidward could feel his tentacles shaking. Mr. Krabs always acted real _calm_ like this, right before he exploded at someone.

"I think ye've been keeping secrets from me,"

"Um..."

"About Spongebob...bein' in love..."

"It's not my fault, Mr. Krabs!" Squidward shouted, a crazed look in his eye. "I told him not to go near that boat, but he did it anyway! I _warned_ him about land creatures, I said 'No, Spongebob! They're trouble!' But he wouldn't listen! He--"

"Whoa whoa whoa, what's this about land creatures?"

Squidward slapped his hand over his mouth. "I...I didn't say _land creatures_...where did you hear that from?" he chuckled nervously.

Mr. Krabs grabbed Squidward by the shoulders.

**Meanwhile...**

"Pat, can't you just _tell_ me what this is?" Spongebob was being pulled, blindfolded, through the trapdoor in the kitchen.

Patrick continued to drag his friend mercilessly through a set of doorways, bumping him carelessly into several walls. Spongebob lifted the corner of the blindfold for a moment, but Patrick quickly pressed it back down.

He finally pulled him through a final doorway, slamming him one more painful time into the wall. "Okay, here we are!" he said, and pulled Spongebob's blindfold off.

In shock, Spongebob stared at the birthday present that Sandy had received on the ship; her self-portrait statue.

"Oh...it's...it's..." He was at a loss for words. He turned to Patrick. "You're the best pal ever!" he pulled his friend into a tight embrace, and then slowly approached the figurine. "It...it looks just like her! All the way up to her beautiful eyes..." he gazed at the statue admiringly, so much so that he didn't notice when Patrick skittered off.

"Spongebob!" a familiar voice rang frightfully through the air, and Spongebob looked up to see Mr. Krabs hovering over him.

"Mr. Krabs!" Spongebob's voice cracked in fear, as he took a step backward and away from his boss.

"I gave you a simple set of rules!"

"Mr. Krabs, I can explain--"

"And I expected those rules to be obeyed!"

"B-but Mr. Krabs, I only--"

"Is it true you rescued a squirrel from drowning?" he took a threatening step toward Spongebob.

"I--I had to--"

"Any type of contact between up _there_," Mr. Krabs thrust a shiny claw at the ceiling. "And down _here,_" he pointed at the floor. "Is against those rules!"

"Mr. Krabs, she would have died!" Spongebob was practically curled up in the corner, and was all but sobbing.

"One less of those monsters to worry about!"

"Y--you don't even know her!"

"Bah, I don't have to! They're all exactly the same...spineless, ruthless, fish-eating savages!"

"Mr. Krabs I love her!" As soon as he spoke, Spongebob slapped his hands over his mouth, shocked at his own words. Squidward gasped, and Patrick hid behind Gary.

The angry crab looked like he was about to explode. "Spongebob!" he bellowed. "She's a _squirrel_! You--you're a sponge!"

"I don't care," Spongebob said, hiding behind the statue with a tear stain on his cheek.

"Boy, I'm gonna get this through to yer little yella head, and I'm afraid there's only one way to do it!" Krabs pulled a shelf off of the wall, sending all of it's contents smashing to the floor.

"Wait! Please, stop!" Spongebob screamed, cowering further behind the statue.

Krabs pushed the Sandy statue over, and picked up several pieces and smashed them onto the floor.

Spongebob stared in horror for a moment, before bursting into tears. He turned his face away from the infuriated crustacean.

A look of regret crossed Krabs' face, but he didn't apologize before he left the hideout.

"Spongebob..." Squidward put his hand on the doleful sponge's shoulder. "I...I didn't mean to..."

Spongebob brushed the hand away. "Go away," he whispered. "Just...just go away."

Squidward hung his head, and signaled for Patrick and Gary to follow him away. "I'm sorry, Spongebob." Squidward whispered.

Once his friends had left, Spongebob looked around at his destroyed treasures, tears running down his cheeks. "All these years," he whispered, before another sob overtook him.

"Poor, poor kid." a familiar voice said.

"What, who's there?" Spongebob looked cautiously around.

"He has a very serious problem." Spongebob spotted Manray and the Dirty Bubble.

"If only there was something we could do," Manray said, in response to the Dirty Bubble's words.

"Oh, but there is."

Spongebob looked frightened. "Wh-what are you d-doing here?" he asked, clutching the rock he was sitting behind.

"Don't be scared kid, we represent a great power," the Dirty Bubble said. "Someone who can make your wildest dreams come true."

Manray spoke up. "Picture it; You, your princess, beautiful sunsets,"

"Romantic walks on the beach," Dirty Bubble added.

"Together forever," they said, in unison.

"I...I'm afraid I really don't...understand..." Spongebob looked incredibly confused.

"Plankton has _many_ resources and great...powers." Manray explained.

Spongebob was almost too shocked to speak. "Plankton? No...I--I couldn't. Just..." his voice trailed off as he choked back another sob. "Just go away!"

"Your choice," Manray said as he and his partner were leaving. "It was only a suggestion." he kicked a piece of the broken statue toward the lamenting sponge. "We're here if you need us."

Spongebob stared at the broken face. It almost looked sad, as if it's expression had changed. Of course, that was impossible, but it triggered some thoughts in Spongebob's head. "Wait!" he shouted after the retreating henchmen.

They turned around, expectantly.

-----

Outside of the Krusty Krab, Squidward, Patrick, and Gary were standing around outside.

"Hmm," Patrick thought aloud. "I have an idea...be right back."

"Meow," Gary said, mournfully.

"But...I didn't _mean_ to tell...it was an accident!" Squidward sat down. "I don't think it's forgivable." he muttered.

They spotted Spongebob walking with Manray and the Dirty Bubble. Even Squidward recognized this as trouble. "Spongebob!" he got up and followed them. "Spongebob, what do you think you're doing?"

Spongebob didn't even turn around to answer. "I'm going to pay Plankton a visit," he muttered.

Squidward was utterly shocked. "Spongebob, are you insane? Have you lost your mind for good?" he grabbed Spongebob by the shoulders and spun him around. "Snap out of it!"

Spongebob pushed him coldly away. "Oh yeah? Maybe I have lost my mind! I have an idea; why don't you go tell Mr. Krabs about it, huh? Maybe that'll solve the problem!" he turned around and continued following Plankton's henchmen.

"But...Spongebob, I--" he huffed. "Come on." he said, signaling for Gary to follow him.


	3. Chapter 3

**YOU ALL HAVE MY PERMISSION TO BEAT ME WITH A BASEBALL BAT!**

**Okay, I KNOW that I haven't been keeping up on the story. I'm SO SORRY! My brain traveled off to la-la land, and well...getting a bus out of la-la land is three times as hard as getting a bus out of Rock Bottom! **

**S.O.Lmaster, thank you SO much for your encouragement with the story, I'm glad you like it!**

**Paige Roberts; Thanks for reviewing D I'm glad you're enjoying the story as much as I am.**

**sbfan728 ; You gave me that PUSH I needed to catch that bus, thanks!**

**To all the rest...thanks for reviewing, and I PROMSE I won't take as much time getting chapter 4 up!**

**Chapter 3**

Spongebob was led into the Chum Bucket by Manray and the Dirty Bubble. (note: when we left off, Sponge had just agreed to go visit plankton 0.o) The sight of the unkempt restaurant was well...unsightly. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, dust was gathered on the floor, and off to one corner were some very precariously stacked bucket helmets. The sight was unnerving, and Spongebob soon found himself regretting walking through those doors.

Spongebob realized he'd been lingering when he heard a voice call from deep inside the all but abandoned restaurant.

"Come in Spongebob, come in!" the voice was easily Plankton's, mastermind behind the Chum Bucket.

A trembling sponge made his way further into the eery building, carefully sidestepping fallen chairs and other debris.

Spongebob reached a table, and on it sat a little green man, who, to most, would seem like a nobody, but to Spongebob, may just be the solution to his problem.

Plankton didn't linger over small talk. "I know why you're here," he began. "It's because there's a girl...no? A beautiful girl." he laughed and spun in a joyous circle. "But--" he stopped spinning, and stared at Spongebob. "You can't be with her. Well, the answer to your problems is here!" he cackled. "All you have to do, is become a air-breathing creature yourself, and BAM!" he lifted his hands up in the air. "Happily ever after!"

Spongebob allowed himself to stare, as the thought properly adjusted itself in his mind. "Y-you...you can do that?"

A smirk crawled across Plankton's face. "Kid, it's what I do for a living; you know, help hopeless helpless people, with no where else to go!"

Plankton suddenly broke into song, momentarily frightening Spongebob. "I admit that in the past I've been nasty

They weren't kidding when they call me, well, a witch

But you'll find that nowadays

I've mended all my ways

Repented, seen the light and made a switch

True? Yes.

And I fortunately know a little magic

It's a talent that I always have possessed

And here lately, please don't laugh

I use it on behalf"

Plankton eagerly pressed a button on his computer, and two fish clad in nerdy apparel and thick glasses appeared.

"Of the miserable, lonely and depressed

Poor unfortunate souls

In pain, in need

This one longing to be thinner

That one wants to get the girl

And do I help them?"

Plankton snapped his fingers, and again the screen on the computer switched pictures.

"Yes, indeed

Those poor unfortunate souls

So sad, so true"

Squidward and Gary slowly found their way toward the Chum Bucket, staring in through the window.

"They come flocking to my cauldron

Crying, 'Spells Plankton please!'

And do I help them?

Yes, I do"

As Plankton sang the next stanza, he shed a phony tear in mock pain.

"Now it's happened once or twice

Someone couldn't pay the price

And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals"

Plankton pressed another button, and a set of bucket helmets dropped onto the fish's heads.

"Yes I had the odd complaint

But on the hold I've been a saint

To those poor unfortunate souls!"

While Spongebob was still recovering from the shock of the whole situation, Plankton hopped up on his shoulder. "Listen kid, here's the deal; I'll make a potion that give you the ability to breath air for three days. You got that?"

He made another image appear on screen. "Check this out, and listen close because this is the important part; before sunset on day number three, you've got to get this princess girl to fall in love with you, which means," Plankton cringed. "She's got to _kiss_ you. BUT, not just _any_ kiss, the kiss of true love!" he chuckled. "Sappy, I know...bear with me. Now, if she does kiss you, you'll get to stay on land forever, breathing air, happily ever after with your princess, blah blah blah..." he turned toward Spongebob, a smile playing his thin lips. "But, if she _doesn't_ kiss you, you'll go back to breathing water, and then..." his mind seemed to drift off as he cackled maniacally. "You'll belong to ME!"

Squidward banged on the window to the chum bucket. "Spongebob, no!" he shouted. But, either the windows were sound proof, or Spongebob was just too intensely focused to notice.

Plankton cleared his throat. "Of course, that means you'll never be able to see any of your friends or family again...but hey, you'll get the girl!"

Spongebob stared at the floor, as if wondering whether or not he should accept.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Plankton said. "We haven't talk about payment. You know, I can't just _give_ you the happily ever after potion, and walk away empty-handed."

Spongebob backed away. "We both know I can't give you the secret Krabby Patty formula..."

Plankton chuckled again, a habit he seemed to have taken on strongly recently. "I don't want the formula, you barnacle head! All I want...is your voice." 

Spongebob took another step back, tripping over a overturned table. "M-my voice?"

Plankton nodded. "That's right! No more talking...singing...laughing..."

Spongebob's face went pale. "But without my voice...h-how will I..." he let his voice trail off.

"Ah, girls don't care for small talk! I mean really, with your handsome face and great personality, what girl _wouldn't_ go for you?"

Plankton broke into song again. "The girls up there don't like a lot of blabber

They think a guy who gossips is a bore

Yes, on land it's much preferred

For men not to say a word

And after all kid, what is idle prattle for?"

Plankton began to throw things into a cauldron connected to his computer.

"Come on they're not all that impressed with conversation

They rather have you listen then conversate

But they dote and swoon and fawn

On a man who's withdrawn

It's he who gets his tongue who gets his girl

Come on, you poor unfortunate soul

Go ahead! Make your choice!

I'm a very busy organism. And I haven't got all day!"

An image of Sandy appeared in front of Spongebob, but when he tried to reach out and touch it, it disappeared.

"It won't cost much. Just your voice

You poor unfortunate soul

It's sad. But true

If you want to cross a bridge, my friend

You've got to pay the toll!"

A large gold scroll appeared directly in front of Spongebob.

"Take a gulp and take a breath

And go ahead and sign the scroll!

Manray, Dirty Bubble, now I got him, boys

The boss is on a roll!"

Spongebob took the floating pen in hand.

"This poor unfortunate soul!"

Spongebob clenched his eyes shut and, reluctantly, scribbled his name, "Spongebob Squarepants" onto the bottom of the scroll, and it disappeared.

Plankton's smile grew. "Beluga, sevruga, come winds of the Caspian sea,"

Spongebob covered his eyes with his hands in fright.

"Larynxis, glossitis 

Etmax laryngitis

La voice come to me!"

The room was filled with lights of hundreds of different colors.

"Now sing Spongebob!" Plankton commanded.

Spongebob looked almost pure white. "I..I don't know that I can..."

"Well then...KAREN!" Plankton called, and as he did, two robotic hands emerged from the walls and began tickling Spongebob. He couldn't help but giggle, and instantly a smoky translucent hand pulled a golden object away from the sponge...and object that held Spongebob's laugh...and brought it toward a shell sitting on the counter.

Plankton cackled, as Spongebob was engulfed by a bubbled, and then mildly electrocuted. In a split second, the bubble was gone, and Spongebob was looking paler and paler.

Squidward realized he was drowning, and ran swiftly inside of the Chum Bucket and started pulling him upward towards the surface of the water, with Gary following closely behind.

Up on shore, Spongebob took his first breath of air.

-----

Back at the royal castle, Sandy was sitting on her balcony, trying to pick out the mysterious tune she'd heard only the day before, humming it over and over. "Ah, that voice!" she turned to Corneil, with a flustered expression on her face. "I just can't git it outta my head! We've been looking everywhere Corneil, where could he be?"

-----

Squidward and Gary had escorted Spongebob around back to the castle. The three of them were exhausted from the long swim, as Patrick ran up to join them.

"Wow, you guys beat me here!" he exclaimed. "I wanted something to make Spongebob feel better." He then realized that his spongy friend was sitting right there. He made a face. "Spongebob, you seem...I don't know..._different_..."

Spongebob nodded.

"Don't tell me, it's your shoes, right? Yeah, you got a new pair of shoes!"

Spongebob shook his head, wanting to speak, but lacking the ability.

Patrick seemed to be racking his brain--or whatever it was he had--for ideas. "Don't tell me, don't tell me!"

Spongebob blew a huge puff of air at Patrick.

Squidward finally blew a fuse. "He's got lungs, you idiot!" He shouted. "He gave his voice to Plankton so he could be with that stupid girl!"

Spongebob made a face, expressing his distaste for Squidward's statement. Squidward crossed his arms and huffed.

"Meow." Gary explained.

"Yeah, all that, and with only _three days_ to do so!" Squidward finished. "Oh, what would Mr. Krabs say about this?" He yanked Spongebob into the air, causing his sodden clothes to rip completely off. Spongebob fell right back down onto the ground.

"Very nice," Squidward stated sarcastically, tossing the torn garments. "That's it, we're marching _straight_ back to the Krusty Krab like I should have done as _soon as..._"

Spongebob intercepted him, tugging desperately on the annoyed octopus' shirt.

"Don't look at me like that, Squarepants!" Squidward said, recoiling. "We're going back _right now_ so you can go home with all the normal fish! Go home and just..."

Spongebob's lip quivered and his eyes teared up, the perfect picture of innocence. Squidward let his shoulders sag. "Go home, and just be _miserable_ for the rest of your life." He sighed. "Alright, fine. We'll stay."

Spongebob smiled and squeezed his guide with delight.

Squidward sat down, head on his hands. "I have _got_ to stop letting him make me feel bad." He murmured.

In the meantime, Patrick had been digging through some old rotting wood and ship pieces. He eventually picked up a sail. "Now Spongebob, first thing's first. If you want to _be_ a land creature, your first step is to dress like one!"

-----

Far along on the other side of the beach, Sandy and Corniel were holding a bit of a conversation, when Corniel picked up an oddly familiar sound. "It can't be..." he whispered to himself. "I think it is!" And then, much to Sandy's surprise, he took off running.

"Corniel? Corniel!" She began running after him. "Come back!"

-----

Patrick and Gary took a quick scan of Spongebob, who had the sail wrapped around his body. It was a bit long, and it drug slightly on the warm sand.

"Wow Spongebob, you look great!" Patrick observed, leaning back and forming a frame with his hands.

"Wonderful." Squidward stated, sarcastically.

At that instant, the sound of a rapid approach could be heard rounding the rocky cliff. A small yellow-colored dog came dashing from behind the formation. "Ah ha, so it IS you!" he cried out, running toward them.

Patrick and Squidward dove underwater, and Gary crawled quickly into one of Spongebob's makeshift pockets.

Corniel started to bark, startling Spongebob. Spongebob jumped up onto a rock, cowering from the unfamiliar noise.

Sandy followed closely behind. "For heaven's sake, Corniel, what's gotten into you?" She glanced up toward the rock, where Spongebob was perched timidly. "Oh," she muttered, a faint smile crossing her lips. She clamped Corniel's mouth shut. "Sorry about him," he said. "He's been acting really strange the past few days."

"Look who's talking," Corniel murmured indignantly.

Sandy looked up at Spongebob's face, meeting his mesmerizing blue gaze. "You look...familiar," she ventured. "Have we met before?"

Spongebob smiled, and nodded excitedly.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "You're the one...the one who swam me back to shore!" She sighed under her breath. "You saved my life. What's your name?"

Spongebob opened his mouth to speak--but, nothing came out.

Sandy made a face. "What's wrong?" she asked, quietly.

Spongebob looked at the ground and shrugged, closing his mouth.

"Oh...you, you can't talk?" Sandy asked, disappointedly.

Spongebob shook his head sadly.

"Oh, well then," She heaved a great sigh. "I guess you couldn't be who I thought y'all was."

Corniel and Spongebob threw each other irritated glances. Spongebob stood up, making a huge swimming motion with his arms.

"You swam?" Sandy asked in surprise.

Spongebob shook his head, and made a heaving motion like he was dragging something. In the middle of his attempted charade, though, he lost his balance and tumbled off of the rock.

Sandy caught him just before he hit the ground, and for a moment, they stared into each other's eyes. "Y'all must have really been through something," Sandy muttered.

Spongebob nodded, still enchanted with her gaze.

"Well, I'm gonna help ya!"

Sandy supported the shaky sponge, and the two began a trek back to the castle. Spongebob threw one more glance backward at his friends. Patrick gave him a huge thumbs-up, winking, and Squidward sat moping. Oh, what a trip this would be!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Inside of the castle, Spongebob sat in a large iron tub filled with warm water and bubbles. The bath felt good, and he playfully batted at the bubbles. A young castle steward dumped a bucket of water over his head, causing him to cough once or twice.

"Sorry, kid." The steward apologized. "So...princess found ya on the beach, did she? Well, we'll have you cleaned up in no time!" He picked up the sail and looked over it, before making a face. "We'll just uh...get this washed up for you." He explained, tossing the soiled garment into the next room over.

Upon the sudden movement, Gary poked his eyes out of the pocket, but before he could get a hold of his surroundings, the sail was retrieved by a laundry maid, and tossed into another iron tub, slightly smaller than the one Spongebob was in.

Even from his pocket, Gary could hear the conversation. "So, you must have at least _heard _about this guy, come on!"

"Not at all!" The other one replied. "What, this guy shows up on the beach wearing a ship sail and not saying a word?" She scoffed. "Not exactly _my_ idea of a prince." The sail was then hung on a wire, and whipped off to another room.

Meanwhile, Bernie, Corneil, and Sandy were seated around the dining room table.

"Seriously Sandy, get _real!_" Bernie scoffed. "Good looking guys don't just swim around rescuing people!" He scoffed. "I mean, if that were true, I'd spend my entire _life_ in the water!"

Sandy was staring out the window, hardly hearing her friend's words. She was clad in a magnificent red dress, and smiling dreamily. "I'm tellin' ya Bernie, he was real. I ain't gonna stop looking 'till I find him."

Bernie sighed. "Say something to her, Corneil!"

Corneil shrugged. "There's nothing _to _say. You know how she is."

"Come now, don't be shy!" A steward's voice could be heard from the other room. Spongebob was then shoved into the enormous dining room. He glanced around nervously, and smiled sheepishly when he spotted the princess and her friends. He was wearing a black tuxedo suit, and a red bow tie. To Sandy, he looked incredibly handsome.

"Cleans up good, don't he?" Bernie remarked, ushering the timid sponge to the table.

"Wow, he does!" Sandy smiled. "You look...you look great!" She said, at a loss for words.

Spongebob's face turned a slight pink color, as he took a seat. The two stared at each other for a long moment, until Bernie broke the silence. "Come on, you two must be starving!" He leaned back in his seat and lit up a pipe.

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Aw come on Bernie, with the pipe and everything? I thought you said you wasn't gonna do that no more."

Bernie shrugged. "So...? I changed my mind."

Without too much thinking, Spongebob reached across the table and grabbed it, examining it thoroughly.

Bernie laughed. "You know, that was my great-grandfather's. He had it imported from somewhere, I can never remember the name of that place."

"Cuba?" Corneil suggested.

Bernie shrugged. "Something like that."

Spongebob looked at the pipe once more, before blowing into it. Ashes flew across the table, coating Bernie's face in a thick coat of black soot.

Sandy's laughter filled the room, as Spongebob shyly set the pipe on the table. "What'd I tell ya?"

"Hey Sandy, you're smiling!" Corneil teased.

Sandy giggled, glancing at Spongebob. "Yeah, I guess I am."

(This is where the huge scene in the kitchen is supposed to be, but since I'm lazy--and that part never made much sense to me--we're just gonna skip ahead in the story a little bit)

Bernie was _trying_ to hold a conversation with Sandy. "Ya know, I was thinking...maybe our guest would like to see some more of the kingdom. Like...maybe a grand tour?"

Sandy wasn't paying much attention, staring at Spongebob--who was staring right back. "Sorry Bernie, did you say somethin'?"

Bernie huffed. "You can't just _sit here_, waiting for this mystery guy to show up at our front door! You need to do something more _active_, like you used to."

"Uh-huh, sure, if he's interested." She replied. "Do y'all want to take a ride with me tomorrow afternoon?"

Spongebob nodded enthusiastically.

"Great!" Bernie said, smiling. "Now, let's eat! Before this think crawls off my plate!"

But it already had. Bernie raised an eyebrow, and Corniel snickered, quietly.

-----

Later that evening, Spongebob sat on the balcony staring dreamily off at Sandy, who was, in turn, staring dreamily off at the sea. She glanced at him and waved, and Spongebob felt his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink, as he waved back and went back inside.

"I hope you're happy, Squarepants." Squidward whined, only to see Spongebob jumping up and down playfully on the soft bed.

There was a knock on the door. "May I come in?" A voice asked. Squidward huffed and opened the door to see Corniel.

"Oh great, you can _talk_ too?" The annoyed octopus asked sarcastically, closing the door.

"Of course I can." Corniel countered, sharply.

Squidward rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, why, and how long until you rat us out?"

Corniel shook his head. "I'm not here to betray your presence, good sir. I would like to lend assistance to your friend over here. I happen to _know_ that this is the correct man, be as it may I don't know why he is so silent...but that's beside the point. I happen to know that you only have three days to get Sandy to kiss him, and I want to help."

"Great. Wait--how do you know that?" Squidward asked, throwing a glance out the window and seeing Patrick sitting on the beach.

Corniel nodded.

"Perfect! So...you can tell Sandy who Spongebob is, and she can kiss him!?" Squidward asked, excitedly.

"No!" Corniel replied, putting up a hand and shocking Squidward somewhat. "Love can _not_ work that way. If Spongebob wants Sandy to fall in love with him, he has to do it himself. I believe that carriage ride tomorrow will be just the thing for it!" He sighed. "Now, you'd better get some sleep. Something tells me, you're going to need it." And with that, he exited the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Squidward raised his eyebrows. "Perfect, Spongebob! Isn't this going _great?_"

But Spongebob had already dozed off. Squidward sighed, almost smiling. "You are completely hopeless." He pulled a blanket over himself, in the chair he was sleeping in. "We're gonna miss you at home." He whispered.

-----

Down in Bikini Bottom, a police officer had stopped by the Krusty Krab.

"Any sign of them?" A desperate Mr. Krabs inquired.

The officer shook his head. "No, sir. We've put out reports on the radio to keep a look out for Spongebob Squarepants and Squidward Tentacles...but we haven't heart anything."

Mr. Krabs was practically in tears, but he stood strong. "Well, keep looking for 'em! And hurry, before I loose all me valuable customers!"

"Roger that." The officer replied, before turning to leave.

Mr. Krabs sighed. "Oh, what have I done?" he asked himself, pitifully. "I'm sorry, Spongebob."

-----

The following day, Bernie waved goodbye with a wink as Sandy and Spongebob left the castle grounds in a horse drawn carriage. Heading into town, Spongebob was completely mesmerized at his first few glimpses of the surface world. When they were nearer to their destination, Squidward attempted to capture Spongebob's attention, but Spongebob was having too much fun, and simply waved back at his friend, smiling.

"Have they kissed yet?" Squidward asked Gary, watching the two ride further on. Gary shook his head, sadly.

Later on, Sandy and Spongebob stopped at a puppet stand. Spongebob watched in disbelief for a moment, before removing a puppet from the perplexed puppeteer's hand. Spongebob heard music, and immediately swung toward it, clutching Sandy's hand.

"Hey Squidward, any kissing?" Patrick asked, abruptly appearing by the octopus' side.

Squidward jumped. "No!"

"Oh." Patrick replied, dolefully.

"They'd better get a move on," Corniel cautioned. "The deadline is tomorrow!"

Squidward shuddered. "I know!"

Spongebob and Sandy climbed back into the carriage, smiling and having the time of their lives. Spongebob stared at the reigns for a long moment, before Sandy giggled. "Wanna drive?" She asked.

Spongebob nodded, and took the reigns from her hands. He snapped them across the horse's backs, and they immediately sped up to a run. Sandy startled and clutched on to Spongebob for a moment, but after a while she began to enjoy the ride. But she didn't let go of Spongebob's arm.

-----

As the evening drew to a close, the Princess and the Sponge set out in a small canoe, over a vast beautiful lake. Spongebob's friends, along with Corniel, still spied on them vigilantly. The quietness of the lagoon lent out a very peaceful atmosphere.

"I can't see!" Patrick complained, shoving Squidward.

Squidward slapped a tentacle over the starfish's mouth. "Be quiet, you dunderhead!" He whispered.

Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear something?" She asked.

Spongebob shrugged and shook his head, not for a moment averting his eyes from Sandy's beautiful face. She returned the stare, smiling. "Ya know," she whispered, careful not to disturb the atmosphere, "You've been my guest for almost two days now, and I don't even know your name." She smiled. "Maybe I can guess. Is it...Edgar?"

Spongebob stuck out his tongue, in a way that indicated a "No".

Sandy laughed. "Alright, is it...Darrin?"

Spongebob shook his head again.

Sandy looked thoughtful. "Benjamin?"

_Spongebob,_ Squidward whispered, and it carried a sound that resembled the cool night breeze.

Sandy perked up. "Spongebob!?"

Spongebob smiled, nodding his head.

Sandy giggled. "It's cute; it suits you."

Spongebob smiled shyly. There were several moments of silence, where the two stared _deep_ into each other's eyes. Sandy leaned forward a little, looking like she wanted to kiss him, but not quite sure.

As if to reassure her, Spongebob leaned forward as well.

Squidward bit his lip, clenching his fists. Patrick silently cheered, and Corniel stared in expectancy. "Come on girl, you can do it," he whispered.

Their faces were inches away...and then centimeters...and out of the blue...the boat tipped over!

Squidward shouted in annoyance, and Patrick flopped onto the ground. Corniel sighed and looked up at the sky.

-----

At the Chum Bucket, Plankton regarded the entire scene in anxiety. "Nice work Manray, Dirty Bubble." He murmured. "That was close--too close! That kid is better than I thought. At this rate, they'll share a kiss by tomorrow!"

He put on the shell necklace, in which he'd earlier acquired Spongebob's voice. "Well, we'll see about that." He murmured, laughing. His appearance slowly began to change, along with his voice. "Dhahaha!"

-----

**I know, I know. It took WAY too long to get this updated. I'm sorry! It's just REALLY hard sometimes, to come up with the right stuff XP FORGIVE ME! ANYWAY, I hope you all enjoyed. I can't tell you when Chapter 5 will come, but...it'll be the last chappie! Have a good one! v**

**-Meg**


	5. Chapter 5

**PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU PROCEED**

**As a quick Author's Note, I'd like to thank all my reviewers. You guys are awsome! I know, I've made you wait too long for this chapter. And since I'm headed to Florida in just a few days, I figured I'd better get it posted soon! So read, review, and just enjoy the story ;-)**

**Chapter 5**

That evening, Sandy sat out on her balcony, strumming a few simple notes on her guitar. Bernie quietly approached, and took a seat by her. Several moments when by, when all you could hear was the soft melody of the acoustic instrument.

Bernie finally spoke up, in a quiet tone. "Sandy? Dare I say, far better than any _dream man,_" He spat out 'dream man' like it was sour. "is the loyal caring one right before our eyes." He finished the sentence with a friendly pat on the shoulder, and then left Sandy to ponder his words.

Sandy looked away from the ocean, and up toward the castle window, where Spongebob was inside with his friends. He didn't notice her looking. Sandy angrily threw her guitar off of the balcony and into the sand. She turned to march back inside in frustration, when she heard a familiar voice. She glanced toward the ocean once more, and saw a young sponge walking on the beach. He was clad mostly in black leather, silver chains hanging from each of his pockets. The only thing that was out of place was a peach-colored seashell necklace. The young man was singing, and it was an enchanting sound. _Very_ enchanting.

She felt momentarily lightheaded, but after a moment, all expression faded from the young squirrel's face.

Sandy was under the stranger's spell.

-----

The next morning, Spongebob was awakened by Patrick jumping onto his bed. "Spongebob, Spongebob! Wake up, wake up!" He shook his friend violently, and after a moment, Spongebob blinked groggily awake. "We did it buddy!" Patrick exclaimed. "The announcements have just been made! We did it, we did it!"

Spongebob yawned sleepily, and Squidward grabbed his head stressfully. "What is it _this time_, Patrick?" He asked.

Patrick laughed. "As if you didn't know! The whole TOWN is talking about it! The princess is getting married this afternoon!"

At this news, Spongebob popped immediately awake.

"Just came to wish you good luck, pal!" Patrick said. He began to climb out the window. "See ya later buddy, wouldn't miss it!" Patrick lost his balance and fell, crashing into the sand below.

Spongebob's mind cleared, and the reality of Patrick's words sank in. He jumped up off of the bed and wrapped Squidward up in an embrace. And for once, the usually-doleful octopus was smiling.

Still in his pajamas, Spongebob dashed down the big grand palace staircase, but froze about in the middle, causing Squidward to bump into him. Spongebob put a finger to his lips, motioning Squidward to remain silent. Down in the castle proper, Sandy, Bernie, and one other man stood, talking, Bernie looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well Sandy, I guess you were right!" He was saying, while looking at the stranger, a sponge looking a lot like Spongebob. "Your mystery-man _does _exist. He's not bad looking, either!"

Gary caught up with Spongebob and froze, as shocked as his owner at the scene down below.

"Congratulations, Sheldon." Bernie said, smiling and shaking the sponge's hand.

_Sheldon..._why did that name sound familiar? Spongebob shook his head in disbelief at what he was seeing.

"We wish to be married as soon as possible!" Sandy said, her voice ringing out in an eerie monotone.

Spongebob stared at the scene. He just couldn't accept this...this..._stranger _barging in on his third day. He was so close!

"The wedding ship departs at sunset." Sandy continued.

Bernie raised his eyebrows. "What!? Sure, but...these things take time, you know!"

Sandy stared expressionlessly at her steward.

He sighed. "Okay, if that's what you want."

Squidward saw Spongebob run up the stairs, and could hear a faint sob as he slammed the bedroom door. Sheldon also saw, and allowed himself a quiet snicker. Squidward squinted and glanced at the necklace around the young man's neck. Something was fishy around here, and it wasn't the ocean.

-----

Later that afternoon, Spongebob sat on a dock and watched as the wedding ship made it's way out onto sea. His lip quivered, and he wiped tears out of his eyes. Squidward put a hand on his shoulder, and that small show of affection was enough to make Spongebob cry. Gary, seeing his owner so upset, also broke into tears. Squidward patted Spongebob's back in a friendly manner.

On the ship, Patrick sat in a slight confusion, wondering where his yellow friend could have been. He heard humming, and it sounded ominously like Spongebob. How was _that_ possible? It sounded much like it was coming through a window. Patrick peeked in and saw--not Spongebob, but what _looked_ like a slightly-older, but still young and handsome, version of Spongebob. The strange sponge, Sheldon, was humming to himself in the mirror and laughing.

Patrick looked at the mirror, wondering what could possibly be so funny. What he saw, horrified him.

Sheldon's reflection, was Plankton.

Patrick jumped away from the window, a look of disgust on his face. "Plankton!" He mumbled. "I've gotta...I've got to..." As he was thinking, he lost his balance and fell off of the ledge onto a small catapult, and was slingshot back toward shore. He landed directly next to Squidward.

"Spongebob, Spongebob!" Patrick shouted. "You'll never believe it! IwasontheboatandIheardanoiseanditsoundedlikeSpongebobsingingbutIknewitcouldn'tbeSpongebobsingingandsoIwenttogoseewhatitwasonlythenitwasPlanktonandhewassingingtothemirrorandhelookedlikeaspongeand--"

Squidward's hand flew over Patrick's mouth. "One word at a time!" He scolded.

Patrick took a deep breath. "The princess is marrying Plankton in disguise!"

Spongebob gasped, and his tears were replaced with anger.

Squidward made a face. "Are you sure about this?"

"Have I ever led you wrong?" Patrick asked. He paused for a moment. "Don't answer that. But yes, I'm sure about it! I saw his reflection in the mirror!"

Spongebob stared after the ship in shock. _Before the sun sets on the third day..._Plankton had said. Without thinking, Spongebob jumped into the water and began to swim toward the boat with all his might. Patrick jumped in after him, as Spongebob grabbed onto a barrel. He began to swim with all his might.

"Get Spongebob to the ship!" Squidward ordered. "I've got to get back down to Bikini Bottom and tell Mr. Krabs what happened! Gary!" Squidward said, climbing into the water.

"Meow?" Gary replied.

"Stall that wedding!" The octopus disappeared, and a smug grin crossed Gary's face.

On the ship, Sheldon and Sandy were walking down the aisle, hand in hand. As they walked past Bernie, Corniel, who was on a leash due to his "strange" behavior that day, growled at Sheldon, who delivered a nasty kick to the small dog, and continued walking. They reached the end of the aisle, and the preacher began his speech. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today."

Patrick, still towing Spongebob (and at a rather slow pace) panted "Don't worry buddy, we're almost there!"

"Do you, Sandy, take Sheldon to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for better or worse, until death do you part?" The Preacher continued

"I do." Sandy answered, in the same entranced tone.

A loud noise sounded from behind, and Sheldon swung around just in time to be attacked by a small pack of seagulls, and covered with seaweed and starfish. At the same moment, Spongebob had just managed to climb aboard the ship, spotting the mayhem.

"They did it!" Corniel mumbled, and yanked free of Bernie's grasp, barking. Gary landed on Sheldon's face, covering him with a clear slime.

Sheldon shrieked like a girl, flailing his arms about until he managed to grasp the snail and shake him violently. Corniel ran up to him and gave him a sharp bite on the leg. Sheldon swatted at him, his arm catching in the string of his necklace, which broke of. The tan seashell came crashing to the floor of the ship, shattering into hundreds of tiny shards.

Sandy broke out of the spell the minute the necklace broke, blinked a few times and shook her head, and then managed to say "What in tarnation?"

Spongebob was giggling. "That tickles!" he exclaimed, and then covered his mouth, realizing it was the first thing he'd said in three days. "Hey!"

"Spongebob!?" Sandy shouted, running toward him.

"Sandy!" Spongebob called back.

Corniel was barking and wagging his tail, unusually behavior for him, but he was unusually happy.

"You can talk!" Sandy declared in awe.

"Oh Sandy, I wanted to tell you!" Spongebob replied, desperation crossing his face.

"Sandy! Get away from him!" Sheldon shouted, his deep natural voice returning. Sandy stared at him for a moment, and then looked back at Spongebob.

"It's really _you_ I was looking for, isn't it!" Sandy breathed.

Spongebob smiled sheepishly, as Sandy leaned toward him for a kiss. But before they could touch, Spongebob gasped.

Plankton started cackling. "You're too late!" He exclaimed. "The sun's gone down!" Plankton had turned back into his normal self, but this time equipped with several sets of large claws that swung about him, giving him the appearance of a giant metal octopus. He grabbed Spongebob and jumped off of the ship.

"Goodbye, _doll_," Plankton teased, as he vanished.

"Spongebob!" Sandy shouted, leaning over the edge of the ship and reaching out toward the slowly vanishing pair.

"Not so fast, _Plankton_!" A voice called. Spongebob spotted Mr. Krabs, and felt his cheeks burn red.

Plankton smirked, and released Spongebob, handing him over to Manray and the Dirty Bubble. "Not a chance, Krabs!" Plankton retorted. "He's _mine_ now. We made a deal, see?" He held up the glowing contract.

Spongebob tried to run toward his boss, but Plankton's two henchmen held him tightly by the arms. Spongebob was nearly in tears again. "I'm sorry, Mr. Krabs!" He yelled. "I didn't mean...I--I didn't know!"

In anger, Krabs grabbed the contract and tried to tear it, only to find it unbreakable. It vanished, and in a split second, reappeared in Plankton's hands.

Plankton laughed. "You see? It's legal, binding, and _unbreakable._" He chuckled at a joke funny to only himself. "Of course, I've always had an _eye_ for a bargain." A menacing grin spread across his face. "And, of course, the maker of the Krabby Patty does make my senses tingle." He dropped a square-shaped bucket helmet onto Spongebob's head. Spongebob whimpered and pushed at it, trying to pull it off. "But of course," Plankton continued. "I _would_ be willing to trade him for someone even _better_."

Up on the surface, Sandy was rowing in a dinghy out to ocean.

Bernie was leaning over the side of the ship. "Sandy! What are you _doing!?_" He called anxiously.

"I lost him once, and I _ain't_ gonna loose him again!" Was all she would say in reply.

Spongebob stood, a complete zombie under the brainwashing of Plankton's bucket helmet.

"So, do we have a deal?" Plankton asked, grinning at Mr. Krabs.

Mr. Krabs sighed, a pathetic picture in the least. "We have a deal." He mumbled. Slowly, he signed his name over Spongebob's onto the contract. Spongebob's name vanished.

"It's done then!" Plankton shouted, pulling the bucket off of Spongebob's head and putting it onto Mr. Krab's.

"No!" Spongebob squealed, reaching out only to be shoved to the ground by a laughing Manray.

"Hand over the Krabby Patty secret formula, Krabs!" Plankton commanded.

Mr. Krabs mindlessly obeyed the order.

Plankton began to cackle, growing in size thanks to one of his numerous spells. "Finally, it's mine! All mine!"

Spongebob gasped, and pointed at Plankton with tears in his eyes. "How could you!? You monster!" He jumped at Plankton, only to be brushed back onto the ground, and then pinned down by a large metal object.

"Don't bother me, fool!" Plankton cautioned, getting larger by the second. He aimed a huge tentacle at the trembling sponge. "Contract or not! I'll blast your little--ow!"

Sandy was a few feet underwater, and had proceeded to fire a spear gun at Plankton's arm.

"Idiot!" Plankton exclaimed. He gestured toward the princess. "After her!" He commanded. Manray and the Dirty Bubble both swam rapidly toward her.

"Sandy, look out!" Spongebob called, struggling to free himself.

"Come on!" Squidward shouted to Patrick, and they both swam toward Sandy, Patrick pulling Spongebob out of the metal thing on his way.

"Say goodbye to your _sweetheart_, fry cook!" Plankton cackled, aiming his weapon at the fighting squirrel.

Spongebob jumped onto his back (and by now, Plankton was big enough for this to be accomplished) causing the ray to misfire and hit Manray and the Dirty Bubble.

Plankton startled, and then shrugged. "Well, two less mouths to feed." But he was still angry. He spotted Spongebob and Sandy swimming toward the surface, and begin to grow bigger at a faster rate, frightening Squidward and Patrick.

Above the water, Spongebob grabbed Sandy's arms. "You have _got_ to get out of here!" He told her. His hands trembled violently, and Sandy took them gently.

"No!" She said, defiantly. "I ain't gonna leave you!"

The now giant Plankton came from beneath them, and Spongebob and Sandy clutched onto each other protectively, both tense with fear.

"Fools!" Plankton growled, trying to smash them with his huge foot.

"Look out!" Sandy shrieked; Her and Spongebob both dived underwater.

"_I_ am ruler of this ocean, now!" Plankton shouted, triumphantly. "Wave, obey my commands!"

At that note, a huge wave crashed right between Spongebob and Sandy, sending Sandy flailing away.

Plankton began to stir the water, loosing shipwrecked boats from the sand in surrounding areas. Sandy grabbed onto a rock and held on for dear life.

Spongebob spotted a rope and grabbed onto it, and hauled himself up onto an old ship. "How do you work thing thing!?" He wondered aloud to himself.

Plankton fired several more deadly rays at the petrified Sandy, who barely managed to dodge them.

The ship that Spongebob was in went sailing toward Plankton.

"You!" Spongebob shouted; he had tears in his eyes. "You used me to hurt my friends!"

Plankton laughed. "That's what I do, kid. And because of your _selfishness,_ I finally got what I wanted!"

The words stung like a whip. Spongebob bit back a sob. "Well your days of tyranny are over, _Plankton_!" As he finished the sentence, his boat went crashing into Plankton. Startled, his spell was once again broken, and he shrank back down to his normal size. The secret Krabby Patty formula went fluttering to the ground, and Mr. Krab's bucket helmet broke off. He picked up the tattered paper, and tucked it into his pocket for safe keeping. Things were back to normal.

Well, almost.

-----

The next morning, Spongebob sat on a small coral reef, watching Sandy on the beach. He was being observed vigilantly by Mr. Krabs and Squidward.

Krabs sighed. "Poor boy. He really does love her, doesn't he, Squidward?"

Squidward shrugged. "I can't be sure. But he really did seem very desperate."

Mr. Krabs stared at Spongebob for a moment, before saying "I guess there's only one problem left." He stated.

"What's that?" Squidward asked.

"Who's gonna make me patties?" Mr. Krabs sobbed. He took a golden spatula, surprising Squidward, and pointed it toward Spongebob.

"I thought you said that was only for emergencies," Squidward commented.

"This is as much an emergency as ever." Mr. Krabs answered.

Spongebob felt funny for a moment, but before he knew it, was on dry land. And he could breath!

"Sandy!" He shouted.

Sandy stopped strumming on her guitar and spotted Spongebob. She squealed with delight and ran up to him. They embraced, and shared a short sweet kiss.

The following day held their wedding. A huge happy celebration. Bernie shared a hug with both of them, before bursting into happy-tears and squeezing Corniel. Corniel gasped for breath, and wriggled free of the hug.

Spongebob hugged Patrick, and then turned to Squidward, who extended a hand. Spongebob shook the hand, and then pounced him into a hug. Squidward just smiled.

Spongebob glanced toward Mr. Krabs. He ran over to him and stood in front of him. He owed this man a lot of things. "Thank you, Mr. Krabs." He said, quietly. Mr. Krabs blinked away tears, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Good luck, me boy." Was all he would say. "We'll miss ye back home."

As their honeymoon ship sailed away, Spongebob waved goodbye to all of his friends and family who had gathered for the wedding. He turned to Sandy and smiled.

They shared one more kiss.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**IT'S COMPLETED! FINALLY!**

**Remind me not to do any more crossovers. EVER! This was SUCH a fun story, and at the same time, it was really hard to interpret correctly. I mean, stuff like this is easy when you make up your own characters, but...yeah.**

**SO, I hope you all enjoyed! PLEASE review, and don't be **_**too**_** mean to me, because this IS my first crossover fic. So...I got the last chapter up before I headed off for Florida! I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF!**

**-Meg**

**PS. In case you wanted to know, this chapter was 8 pages long OO**


End file.
